Morganthe – Morgan le Fay
https://101universe.fandom.com/wiki/Morganthe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_le_Fay
Morganthe is THE big bad of the second arc. Your wizard encounters her on every world from Celestia through Khrysalis and she drives the storyline on each world. She is being listed in Avalon because that is her home.
Morganthe, known as the Shadow Queen or the Umbra Queen, was a powerful dark wizard from the world of Avalon and the leader of the Umbra Legion. The sister of Sir Malory, she was once the apprentice and best student of famed wizard Merle Ambrose. Discontent with Ambrose’s slow and cautious training methodology, Morganthe was known to delve into forbidden magics. Still a young wizard, she offered the Horned Crown, a dark artifact from the Wyrd, to the dying King Artorius following the battle in which he killed Malory and was maimed by him. The Crown turned Artorius into the Pendragon. Nevertheless, Morganthe still would find her way learning magic at Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. She was never content with her teaching and always strived for greater power, leading her to conduct research into Astral Magic. This research culminated in an experiment that nearly destroyed Wizard City. As a result, her wand and deck was confiscated and she was expelled from Ravenwood.
Desperate to continue practicing magic, Morganthe eventually found her way to the world of Khrysalis, where she was hailed by the Spider Magi as the Chosen One of the Grand Prophecy. It was in Khrysalis that she learned how to use Shadow Magic, but she failed to learn Star Magic during her time at the Alcazar of Radiant Judgement. She desired to learn the secrets of Astral Magic from the Celestians, but they refused her, spurring her to raise an army and launch an invasion of Celestia, starting a decades-long war between her Umbra Legion and the defending Celestian army. Realizing defeat was imminent, the brunt of the conflict ended when the Celestians summoned the Storm Titan to take out Morganthe’s forces, but the Titan betrayed them and sunk all of Celestia under the waves. Morganthe returned to Khrysalis to raise a new army, and she would later invade and conquer Zafaria until she was taken down from her throne by the newly unified Council of Light.
Many years later, Morganthe returned to Celestia and finally mastered the Astral Magics she had long sought after. Believing herself to be the subject of a famed prophecy, she retrieved the Deck of Shadows from Zafaria, recovering a large portion of her power. She used Astral Magic to manipulate the dreaded comet Xibalba and orchestrated the eternal destruction of Azteca after gaining access to it from the “Horn of Huracan,” Huracan Vicious Sky. She then successfully learned the Song of Creation from the Lords of Night. Morganthe returned to Khrysalis to build her Celestial Choir, and holed herself up in the Shadow Palace in order to fully master the Song and rewrite the Spiral in her image. Empowered Morganthe was defeated by the Wizard and she lost control of the Song, overwhelming her and causing her to be sent adrift into the Outer Void.
I have long dreamed this. I may not have the pleasure of killing Ambrose with my own hand, but sending him your head may be sweeter, still. I forget myself. A queen should not act so basely. Such a threat is beneath me, especially on the eve of my victory. Mirror Lake broke, then Huracan, the horned one, called to Xibalba. And then I brought down the sky. And you failed and failed and failed. But really, in the face of prophecy, what choice did you have? You dabble in Shadow, but you have no idea what it truly means. Shadow bends to reality. And reality bends to my whim. Face me in all my forms, and despair!
Morganthe
Morgan le Fay, meaning ‘Morgan the Fairy’, alternatively known as Morgan[n]a, Morgain[a/e], Morg[a]ne, Morgant[e], Morge[i]n, and Morgue[in] among other names and spellings, is a powerful and ambiguous enchantress from the legend of King Arthur, in which most often she and he are siblings. Early appearances of Morgan in Arthurian literature do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess, a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and connected to Arthur as his magical saviour and protector. Her prominence increased as legends developed over time, as did her moral ambivalence, and in some texts there is an evolutionary transformation of her to an antagonist, particularly as portrayed in cyclical prose such as the Lancelot-Grail and the Post-Vulgate Cycle. A significant aspect in many of Morgan’s medieval and later iterations is the unpredictable duality of her nature, with potential for both good and evil.
Arthurian romance authors century established Morgan as Arthur’s supernatural elder sister. In the 13th-century prose cycles – and the later works based on them, including the influential Le Morte d’Arthur – she is usually described as the youngest daughter of Arthur’s mother Igraine and her first husband Gorlois. Arthur, son of Igraine and Uther, is thus Morgan’s half-brother and her full sisters include Mordred’s mother, the Queen of Orkney. The young Morgan unhappily marries Urien, with whom she has a son, Yvain. She becomes an apprentice of Merlin, and a capricious and vindictive adversary of some knights of the Round Table, all the while harboring a special hatred for Arthur’s wife Guinevere. In this tradition, she is also sexually active and even predatory, taking numerous lovers that may include Merlin and Accolon, with an unrequited love for Lancelot. In some variants, including in the popular retelling by Malory, Morgan is the greatest enemy of Arthur, scheming to usurp his throne and indirectly becoming an instrument of his death. However, she eventually reconciles with Arthur, retaining her original role of taking him on his final journey to Avalon.
The current list of all the (known) Avalon references are located here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references, I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Morganthe image is from Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
Morgana le Fay image is borrowed from Wikipedia and is in the public domain.
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
Vulcan Stev's Database 